Chaelbs albert knight akd george william thode



(No Model.)

0. A. KNIGHT & G. W. THODE.

BOILER FURNACE.

No. 323,871. Patented Aug. 4, 1885.

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UNrTE TATES CHARLES ALBERT KNIGHT AND GEORGE WILLIAM THODE, OF GLASGOW COUNTY OF LANARK, SCOTLAND, ASSIGNOR-S TO THE BABGOOK & WIL- COX COMPANY, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

BOILER-FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 323,871, dated August 4, 1885.

Application filed January 6, 1885. (No model.) Patented in England July 26, 1884, No. 10,646.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES A. KNIGHT and GEORGE W. Tnonn, a citizen of the United States and a subject of Germany, re-

spectively, and residing at Glasgow, in the county of Lanark, Scotland, have jointly invented a new and useful Improvement in Boiler-Furnaces, of which the following'is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof,

in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 2 a transverse vertical section, of a boiler known as the Babcock 82; WVilcox Water- 1 Tube Boiler, embodying our invention. Fig.

3 is a detached View of a modified arrangement of adjacent tiers of tubes, and Fig. 4 anenlarged view of the separable parts embracing our invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate. corresponding parts in the several figures.

It is well known that when gaseous or bituminous coals are employed as fuel in boilerfurnaces the gases or volatile products which 2 they yield are rapidly generated at a low t(mperature, and large volumes of unconsumed gases pass off by the dues to the chimneys, such gases having been chilled or cooled down to a temperature below that at which ignition takes place by contact with the comparatively cold surfaces of the boilertubes. So much so is this the case that the combustion which should take place within the furnace-chamber often takes place when 3 5 the gases reach the external air at the top of the chimney. This is more especially the case in boilers of the tubular and water-tube classes, and particularly when they are forced, the efficiency of the boiler and economy of the fuel being in consequence very greatly reduced.

According to our invention as applied to boilers with horizontal or inclined water-tubes, we fill up the spaces between the tubes in the 5 front section in such a manner as to form over the furnace a series of heat-retaining fiues or regeuerators, which, by maintaining a comparatively uniform heat above the ignition-point, insure the perfect combustion of the gases evolved by the fuel as they pass through the said fiues and before they are brought into effective use. Contrary to the usual setting of these boilers, we may further provide fines or passages either at one or both sides of the series of tubes, and extend the length of the front section of the tubes. This will afford free passage to a large body of flame, practically without coming in contact with the surfaces of the boiler, until the chamber over the tubes is reached, where the lesser currents of gases passing through the lines a, between the tubes, impinge against the flame, and complete union andcornbustion of the gases take place. v

It will be seen that the object is to retard 6 the contact of the gases with the surface of v the boiler until they shall have perfected their combustion, thus giving an efficiency and economy not otherwise obtained, which we find to be the case with our invention.

Referrin g to the drawings, it will be observed that in the front section of the tubes A, immediately over the fire grate B of the boiler, the spaces between the tubes are filled up with bricks or blocks 0 of a material such as fireclay, which, besides beinglof a refractory character, possess the property of absorbing and retaining heat in a high degree. The bricks or blocks are preferably made hollow, and are of oblong shape, their longitudinal edges being curved to fit the tubes between which they rest, and they are retained without setting or cement, the blocks being of such section and so placed in inclined rows that they are retained in position by their own gravity. The blocks are fitted in a number of lengths to fill up the spaces between the inclined rows of tubes in nearly the entire length of the first section. In the sides or back or in the front wall or in other parts of the furnace small holes or openings D are formed to admit air to mix with the gases which rise from the fuel consumed on the fire-grate B. The rising gases the tubes is raised to a very high heat. The gases generated by the burning of fresh fuel on the fire-grate, and whose temperature may be below the ignition-point, are, after admixture with air, highlyheated in passing through the flues a, ignition taking place and complete combustion being effected by the time they reach the top of. the section, and before they come into contact with the bare watertubes A in the succeeding section. The flue spaces a between the rows of tubes may be inclined in various directions; or they may be made vertical or staggered, or otherwise disposed, by varying the order in which the blocks 0 are placed between the tubes, such a modification being shown, for example, in Fig. 3. Our invention may also be applied to other forms of water-tube boilers than that illus trated in the drawings.

By filling up the spaces between the tubes in the section over the furnace in the manner shown we form regenerators, which absorb a considerable amount of heat from the fire while it is bright, and part with a portion of such heat to afford ignition of the rising gases evolved in'nnediately after firin Having now particularly described the nature of our said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, What we claim s l. In a water-tube boiler containing a nest of horizontal or inclined tubes, a filling of refractory i'naterial interposed between the tubes of each vertical series that will form regenerative flue-spaces for the passage of the furnace-gases, as set forth.

2. lhe combination, with the tubes, of a series of refractory or heat'absorbin g blocks, disposed between vertical adjacent tubes, so as to form with the tubes regenerative fluespaces, substantially as described.

' CHARLES ALBERT KNIGHT.

GEORGE WILLIAM TIIODE. \Vitnesses:

ROBERT WYLiE,

0/107 Westltcgcat Street, Glasgow. W. GrBsoN,

U. S. Vice-Consul, Glasgow. 

